Warning, whiny post ahead-

Well, maybe not a whiny post, but not one that will blow you away if you’re looking for leadership advice of ideas of how to be an innovator.  No, today I’m battling a head cold that I think is actually a sinus infection.  Don’t feel sorry for me though because I’m fairly certain that I got it on an airplane and made it worse by standing outside last Sunday in a cold rain as I watched my son’s football team win the Superbowl in his age division.  Go Little Panthers!

Feeling bad and getting up early to write do not mix for me, so yesterday I posted on FaceBook that I was too sick to write my blog post.  Many people responded sending me “feel better” wishes.  It certainly made me feel better to know that my friends cared.  The last comment came from my friend Debbie Brown.  She suggested I look at the list of people who responded and cared and write about whether or not I was friends with or knew any of these people five years ago.   Great idea!

As I looked over the list of my caregivers and well-wishers, I was shocked to see that I did not know ANY of these people five years ago.  Two people I met through my kids’ athletic teams and the other nine were all people I met on Twitter that I later met in person.  UNBELIEVABLE!  And’ while I’ve known most of them just shy of five years, I was completely caught off guard that social media has impacted my life in such a positive way.  These people are real friends, not just some followers on Twitter.

So, a special thank you to John Jorgerson, Joan Ginsberg, Jay Kuhns, Franny Oxford, Jenny Payne, Mervyn Dinnen, Mike VanDervort, Gail Dluhy, Judy Mack and Debbie Brown for being my friends.  Thank you for caring about me and for sharing it on FaceBook.  

It’s better than chicken-noodle-soup!

Are you using social platforms to enhance your organization’s recruiting efforts?  It’s a practice that is quickly becoming not only more acceptable as an avenue to reach candidates but a “must have” tool in your recruiting arsenal.  Early adopters of social media platforms had to use a trial-and-error method to determine how to identify specific candidates, the best ways to grab their attention and how to take the initial connection and turn it into a hire.  Social recruiting is about how to engage social media users, potential candidates, in conversation.  These conversations begin to build a relationship with your organization and the brand, ultimately to lead to hires from a new candidate pool.

Today, there are many ways to build the skill of social recruiting.  Recruiters can still join the various platforms and attempt to reach candidates in that same trial-and-error method. However, more organizations are trying to find training for their recruiting teams that is more effective and efficient when it comes to building the employer brand into a social recruiting strategy.

Why social recruiting?

It’s about more than having a Twitter or FaceBook account.  It’s about:

• using multiple sites to target a niche of candidates that you may not reach otherwise
• pulling them into your world, not just pushing information out to the masses

I recommend an upcoming, online series of sessions hosted by Brazen U.  The Social Recruiting Bootcamp will take place November 7- 18.  BrazenU’s Social Recruiting Bootcamp will teach you how to use social media to ENGAGE with your target recruiting audience, create the content and message to CONNECT with top talent, and implement the strategy to make the right HIRE, fast.

This course offers the flexibility to either participate in live sessions or access the program materials at a time that fits your schedule — all at a fraction of the cost of typical in-person conferences. And, the course has been approved for 6.0 (General) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

Register today!

The New York Times ran an interesting article this week about an employee who was fired because of something she posted on her FaceBook page.  An emergency medical technician at American Medical Response of Connecticut was told she had violated the company policy that prevents employees from depicting the company on social media sites.  Additionally, it is thrown in that this was one reason for her termination and alluded that there were other reasons as well.  According to the post, this is “the first case in which the labor board has stepped in to argue that workers’ criticisms of their bosses or companies on a social networking site are generally a protected activity and that employers would be violating the law by punishing workers for such statements.”

Without knowledge of what the other reasons for the termination were, and if we had a case where the disparaging remarks were the only issue, should this company have fired the employee?  Let’s assume that the company did a few steps before terminating.  Here are a few questions I’d like answered:

• Did they use progressive discipline with the employee?
• Was this the first time the employee violated a policy?
• Is this policy violation serious enough to have termination as a consequence?

I think the bigger question for us and our organizations is, are we doing all we can to educate employees about using social media in a way that promotes professionalism? We’re not there yet.  Many instances like this can be avoided first and foremost if the supervisor is open to feedback on a daily basis.  Additionally, if the organization gives employees an outlet to let leadership know if there are issues brewing.  And, while a majority of employees do not use social media as a platform to bash colleagues, I would recommend that for those few who do, education and discussion should be a major component of dealing with the issue before termination is used.  After all, the whole point of social media is being able to communicate and network and by terminating employees on the spot, we’re flying in the face of the purpose.

What do you think?  Do you support terminating employees who vent about colleagues on social sites?  Or, do you agree with the National Labor Relations Board that employees in cases like this are being treated too harshly?  I’m anxious to hear your thoughts…..weigh in in the comment section….

I was on my way home from work and listening to a local radio show, the Dave Glover show, when the host began talking about people on Facebook.  You know the type….out of work and supposedly working hard to find a job.  They are the ones who post constantly on Facebook that they are looking for work.  Then you start reading through their wall posts and see that they have been playing Farmville, Mafia Wars, or a similar game all day.

I’m certain that spending all day tending an imaginary farm is not going to increase your hire-ability. Farmville is a way for game developers to make money.  It will not help you find a job.  It will not even help you be a better farmer if that is the job you’re looking for.

When you are a job seeker, you do not have to spend 24/7 looking for a job.  But, you do have to realize a couple important facts:

• It is a full-time job to find a job. This means you need to have a plan each day of what you will do to network, search job sites, research companies, call and visit companies, join industry groups in your area, etc.
• What you do online can help or hurt your job search. Networking online with targeted motives can help boost your search.  Playing games like Farmville will help you send a message to your network.  The last thing you want others to think is that you are not serious about finding a job, or that you’re lazy or not looking.  Keep in mind that when you play games online at Facebook, it posts updates that are timed and dated.  Is that the message you want your network to see? Definitely not. It’s ok to take a break for a game or two of some sort, but I recommend choosing one on another site that won’t post updates all day to your profile.
• You control your destiny.  Spend your time online creating positive profiles about yourself.  Share information that will help you get hired.

It is not a bad thing to be online when you’re a job seeker.  In fact, it’s quite good.  But make sure that you are conscious of the information you’re sharing so that you find the job you want more quickly.  Otherwise, you might want to just get a job in Farmville.

What comes to mind when you hear the words social media?  Do you think of sites that are popular today like Twitter, FaceBook, or LinkedIn?  Do you think it is just for teens or that it is just a tool to decrease employee productivity?  Or, can you see past all the negative hype and see how to exploit social media platforms for a competitive advantage?

That’s right, social media can be your key to competitive advantage.

It is a tool that can help you as an individual or as a business leader to stand head and shoulders above the rest.  Let’s be honest, in today’s lagging market, we need a way to stand out in a positive way and to reach our current and potential clients and customers.  So, how do we get there?  Social media. These are free tools that can be quickly learned and applied in ways that will communicate your brand.  If you’re like I was, then you just don’t make the connection how that is possible.  Let me share my story.

About two years ago, I participated in a webinar that demonstrated how to use Twitter.  I sat through it wondering how in the world this would pertain to me in my role as a human resources director.  I did not understand the concept of finding people with a certain background to follow.  I did not understand why someone would want to follow me and see what I’m doing moment by moment.  And so, like many, I signed off and did not touch it again.

Fast forward to a year ago.  I loved reading human resource blogs and started my own human resource blog.  I realized that many of the bloggers I was communicating with used Twitter so I signed back in.  I followed HR bloggers and other HR professionals and saw them sharing relevant HR articles on trends and core competencies . I began tweeting (sharing information in 140 characters via Twitter) each time I wrote a new post on my blog.  My followers would re-tweet it, meaning they would send it to all their followers.  I quickly saw my blog stats rise and simultaneously, my Twitter followers increased too.

I was marketing myself!

I fell into a situation where I quickly learned the power Twitter has to connect you with other like-minded professionals in your industry or with a certain market segment that you would like to reach.  The one caution I have is that the Twitter community is one not to take advantage of.  You have to be genuine and willing to share and communicate, not just push out your personal or company agenda.  Otherwise, you will be labeled a spammer and will quickly crash and burn.

Since that time, my blog has seen exponential growth, my personal brand as a HR professional has flourished and I have the opportunity to speak globally about the power of social media.

So, have I piqued your interest in getting involved with social media?  Add your questions or your own story in the comments.